Rural MN CEP’s Incumbent Worker Training Program: Welding Wonders

Rural Minnesota CEP helped KLN Family Brands implement a welding training program that improved their workforce, provided opportunities, and gave their business more freedom. 

For many workers, it's difficult to develop skills, transition into other industries, or gain certifications. For many employers, producing training programs for an entire workforce can cost time, energy, and resources. However, training programs are beneficial for both employees and employers. By assisting in the creation of training programs, Rural MN CEP’s Incumbent Worker Training Program helps both parties. Essentially, an incumbent worker is someone who needs to increase their skills through education and training opportunities. Ranging across several industries and disciplines, Rural MN CEP’s incumbent worker training program helps businesses with the cost of various training programs. 

Welding Training at KLN Family Brands

Robb Moser, Vice President of KLN, was initially motivated by the positive changes training would bring to the business, stating, “Training will increase KLN’s ability to innovate and therefore allow them to focus more time, energy, and resources to expand and grow our business.” Moreover, workers have also felt the benefits. 

To suit KLN’s business needs, Rural MN CEP and KLN developed an on-site welding training program. Through the program, workers gained an AWS D1.6 structural welding certification through the American Welding Society. Typically, welding education costs workers a lot of time and money because it isn't completed on the job. By pursuing the training program within their own company, workers received a welding certificate that would usually be costly.  

“It’s significant that they earned the American Welding Society credential,” says Kelley Nowell, Team Leader at Rural Minnesota CEP. “The Incumbent Worker Training program is designed to strengthen a company and help to prevent layoffs. Upskilling workers is a key aspect of that.”

Through the on-site training program, workers gained marketable, applicable skills that could advance their company and their personal life. With welding training on site, workers and the employers optimized their resources and time without needing to go outside the workplace. Additionally, because the workers gained skills that translate outside of the workplace, workplace trust between employees and employers strengthened. 

Rural MN CEP Can Help Provide the Training Resources You Need

While training programs are normally a costly endeavor for businesses, Rural MN CEP helps employers provide training for free. Nowell states that many businesses like KLN should come to Rural MN CEP for assistance, “conversation and a little bit of time could hopefully generate or provide funding so that it doesn’t come out of the employer’s pocket. It is hard to pay for training if you don’t have additional funding.”

In addition, Nowell believes that providing employee training programs is a sound economic decision in the long run, “it’s a way to skill-up your current employees, be able to do more, and that always just benefits any company. Anything you do in-house is always economical.”

Depending on the business size, RMCEP may cover up to 90% of the direct costs of training staff. Look into how Rural Minnesota CEP can help your business with training needs today.